Sessions fires at Trump: DOJ won't be...
Aug 23, 2018 17:45:36 GMT -5
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Post by tnthomas on Aug 23, 2018 17:45:36 GMT -5
Jeff Sessions fires back at Trump: DOJ won't 'be improperly influenced' by politics
Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired back against President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying the Justice Department will not be "improperly influenced by political considerations." Earlier, Trump attacked him on television, asking "what kind of a man is this?"
"I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in, which is why we have had unprecedented success at effectuating the President's agenda," Sessions said in the statement, which was posted on Twitter by Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores.
During an interview that aired hours earlier on "Fox & Friends," Trump said Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department," criticizing the former Alabama senator for recusing himself from the investigation into possible links between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
Sessions "took the job and then he said, 'I'm going to recuse myself.' I said what kind of a man is this?" Trump said in the interview.
The statement Sessions released did not mention the "Fox & Friends" interview directly.
The back-and-forth between the president and his attorney general comes only two days after the president's former personal lawyer and former campaign chairman became felons in what was perhaps the most catastrophic day in Trump's presidency.
The exchange comes amid heightened speculation that Sessions could be on the chopping block. Earlier Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that Trump could fire Sessions after the November midterms.
"I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in, which is why we have had unprecedented success at effectuating the President's agenda," Sessions said in the statement, which was posted on Twitter by Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores.
During an interview that aired hours earlier on "Fox & Friends," Trump said Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department," criticizing the former Alabama senator for recusing himself from the investigation into possible links between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
Sessions "took the job and then he said, 'I'm going to recuse myself.' I said what kind of a man is this?" Trump said in the interview.
The statement Sessions released did not mention the "Fox & Friends" interview directly.
The back-and-forth between the president and his attorney general comes only two days after the president's former personal lawyer and former campaign chairman became felons in what was perhaps the most catastrophic day in Trump's presidency.
The exchange comes amid heightened speculation that Sessions could be on the chopping block. Earlier Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that Trump could fire Sessions after the November midterms.
Some former prosecutors were encouraged by Sessions’s willingness to speak out. Former prosecutor Renato Mariotti told me, “One of the most important roles of the attorney general is to defend the rule of law and the work of the Justice Department. It’s good to finally see Jeff Sessions stand up for thousands of career non-political employees who work hard to protect us.”
Likewise, former prosecutor Joyce Allen White remarked, “It’s good to see Attorney General Sessions finally stand up for the men and women of the Department of Justice. They deserve an Attorney General who has their back and protects them against improper political influence from this (or any) White House so they can do their jobs, protect the American people and uphold the rule of law.”
Ultimately, Sessions was smart to push back strongly, especially now, for several reasons:
Trump is at a low point, and risks setting off a firestorm if he fires Sessions.
Sessions needs to protect the integrity of the Justice Department, whose lawyers appear in court and before juries and also communicate with witnesses. If Trump smears the department, Sessions’s department loses essential trust.
Sessions needs to separate himself from Trump, who is accumulating legal troubles at an alarming rate. Remember Sessions was on the campaign, offered untrue testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about his Russia contacts and participated in the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey. He needs to make sure he doesn’t go down with the presidential ship.
And finally, it’s the right thing to do. Trump is trashing the rule of law and the independence of the Justice Department. If our democracy is permanently damaged, we’ll remember who was captaining DOJ.
Because Graham and Grassley opened the door, every Republican on the ballot needs to say whether an effort to squelch the Russia investigation by replacing Sessions with a Trump stooge would be grounds for impeachment.
Likewise, former prosecutor Joyce Allen White remarked, “It’s good to see Attorney General Sessions finally stand up for the men and women of the Department of Justice. They deserve an Attorney General who has their back and protects them against improper political influence from this (or any) White House so they can do their jobs, protect the American people and uphold the rule of law.”
Ultimately, Sessions was smart to push back strongly, especially now, for several reasons:
Trump is at a low point, and risks setting off a firestorm if he fires Sessions.
Sessions needs to protect the integrity of the Justice Department, whose lawyers appear in court and before juries and also communicate with witnesses. If Trump smears the department, Sessions’s department loses essential trust.
Sessions needs to separate himself from Trump, who is accumulating legal troubles at an alarming rate. Remember Sessions was on the campaign, offered untrue testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about his Russia contacts and participated in the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey. He needs to make sure he doesn’t go down with the presidential ship.
And finally, it’s the right thing to do. Trump is trashing the rule of law and the independence of the Justice Department. If our democracy is permanently damaged, we’ll remember who was captaining DOJ.
Because Graham and Grassley opened the door, every Republican on the ballot needs to say whether an effort to squelch the Russia investigation by replacing Sessions with a Trump stooge would be grounds for impeachment.
They deserve each other